


Frozen and Aflame

by tinamachina



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-31
Updated: 2012-08-31
Packaged: 2017-11-13 05:47:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/500164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinamachina/pseuds/tinamachina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ice storm brings Setzer and Terra closer than they have ever been before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frozen and Aflame

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written in January 2007 for ff_smutathon challenge. Rewritten August 2012 for content and formatting.

It was a bitterly cold winter night. A storm hovered over Mobliz, pelting the Serpent Trench with ice, sleet and bone-chilling winds. Setzer knew he should not be flying in such terrible weather, but Mobliz needed supplies. He would not let Terra down.

The town of Mobliz had been fully rebuilt a year since Kefka’s reign of terror came to an end. People had settled in and established a new village, a new community. Setzer had been making daily trips to Mobliz through rain, shine or fog. Regardless of the weather, the Falcon delivered supplies, letters and assorted gifts to the village every day without fail. It became part of Setzer’s routine, and he enjoyed it, mostly because he got to see Terra every day.

And every day, Terra would have a hot pot of tea ready, with a tray of sandwiches. She lived in a small, brick house in the center of town, where the old underground hide-out used to be. They would sit at her kitchen table and play cards. Terra became as skilled a player as the airship-pilot, so the games were always enjoyable. Setzer kept her up to date on all the latest news, gossip and misadventures of all their other friends. Terra would talk about her "children," and their new families. The topic of family may have bored the gambler in the past, but Setzer marveled at how such a young woman could take on so much responsibility, how any one person could open up their heart so fully to a bunch of tiny strangers. Sometimes his visits were brief, other times he would linger for hours at a time. The skies would always beckon Setzer back, but as the days past, it became harder and harder to leave Mobliz.

This night, however, was the worst weather Setzer had ever flown through. His leather gloves and velvet-lined leather duster were not enough to keep the chill from cutting through the airship-pilot’s body. Setzer clenched his jaw shut to stop from chattering, as the freezing rain seemed to fall horizontally across the ship’s deck. Ignoring his increasing numbness, Setzer kept his frozen hands on the controls of the Falcon, attempting to land the airship safely on solid ground. It was no easy task; the ground was covered in ice, several inches thick. The landing wheels skidded erratically across the frozen earth, as Setzer desperately tried to make a stop. The howling winds nearly knocked the Falcon into the ocean, and Setzer was in no mood to test the seaworthiness of the vessel.

The Falcon pirouetted across the icy earth at least twice before making a complete stop. The wheels tore long, jagged tracks across the snow, which were immediately being erased by the relentless storm. After a less than graceful landing, Setzer’s legs nearly buckled underneath him. Pulling himself up, he disembarked the airship with his crew. 

A woman, wrapped in numerous heavy shawls, ran through the ice storm to meet the frozen airship-pilot at the gangplank. She resembled Gogo, until Setzer spied a lock of green hair flying in the wind.

"Goddesses!You poor, brave, foolish man!" Terra tore off one of her shawls and wrapped it around Setzer’s shivering shoulders. "We could have lasted another day if it meant you didn’t have to fly through all this!"

Setzer’s lips were too numb to form a coherent response, and his teeth clattered uncontrollably. Terra pulled him in the direction of her house, while the crew unloaded the supplies from the airship. Terra pushed her frozen friend through the door, into the buttery warmth inside. Terra’s hearth glowed with a crackling fire.

"I need you to take your coat and gloves and shoes off!" Terra commanded, as if Setzer was one of her orphans. 

The idea of undressing while still frozen stiff did not seem too pleasant to the gambler. The green-haired lady was pulling off his coat anyway, and hung it to dry by the doorway.Setzer sat down in front of the fire to remove his ice-coated boots.

Setzer was mesmerized by the fire in the hearth. It reminded him of the first time he met Terra–a creature wrapped in pinkish-purple flame, lying comatose in a tower in Zozo. She was half-Esper, a magical being Setzer had only heard about in fairy tales and operas. He had seen this little firefly streak across the skies like a small comet, unaided by wings or machinery. She became the embodiment of Setzer’s ultimate fantasy–free flight.

Terra could see the sleet and snow blended in with Setzer’s ice-white hair. She took a towel from the cupboard, and gently rubbed Setzer’s head clear of its icy treatment. She tossed the shawls off her shoulders and knelt in front of him, her arms resting on his shoulders, as she warmed her friend in front of the fireplace.

Setzer was always cautious when getting close to Terra. In Esper form, she looked like she could burn him if touched. In human form, she seemed much more approachable. There was sweetness and vulnerability in her that he had not seen in any woman he had ever met. Maria could depict sweetness and vulnerability on stage, in character.Off-stage, it was another story. Even his beloved lost Daryl, beyond her rough-and-tough exterior, had an occasional soft side she rarely let show, except in bed.Terra, the fire-elemental half-Esper ex-sorceress, was all warmth and gentleness. 

Setzer became fascinated with her on first meeting, but he could never get too close. Other men, particularly a certain treasure hunter and a pair of princely twins, fiercely protected her. Setzer, with his somewhat roguish reputation, was often kept at arm’s length.

The deep freeze was beginning to leave Setzer’s body, thanks to the warmth of the fire, and Terra’s gentle touch. Terra’s hands moved away from his hair, as her bare fingers and palms caressed the gambler’s scarred face. There was heat that radiated from Terra’s hands, even though Terra could no longer use fire magic. She was fully human and probably had to light the fire by more conventional means. The hearth’s fire cast a glow on Terra’s skin, a glow that otherwise seemed to emanate from within.

"I didn’t say thank you yet, did I?"Terra’s smile could warm a room on its own.

"You don’t need to," Setzer said, feeling sensation return to his face again.

"I still didn’t mean for you to risk your life just because we were running out of things," Terra said, guiltily.

Setzer shrugged, "I’m a daredevil by nature. Besides, it was a risk worth taking."

There was another risk Setzer contemplated taking at that moment. He knew Terra had never been with a man before. Edgar made attempts, but the green-haired lady was immune to his questionable charms. It seemed as if Terra had given up on her quest for romantic love when she adopted the orphans of Mobliz. Now that the children had all found adoptive parents in the new village, and Terra’s house was empty, and there was no overprotective thief to stick a dagger into his back, Setzer was ready to make his gamble. 

Her face was only inches from hers. Her rose lips would most definitely feel nice and warm and soft against his. He carefully inched his face forward.

"Come, let’s sit on the couch, and I’ll make some tea," Terra sat up in a flash and walked into the kitchen. 

Setzer wrinkled his nose and silently cursed to himself, "Damn." 

On a previous visit, Setzer had brought Terra an overstuffed velvet couch from the Opera House’s Spring Cleaning auction. It was less than 3 years old, but the diva Maria wanted a new one in a different color. The "old" couch was situated at a perfect distance from the fireplace, close enough for warmth but not too close as to catch fire itself. Terra always had a pile of blankets and shawls tossed across the couch, for whenever she had to warm up frozen children and wayward travelers. The gambler pulled himself up off the rug, and tossed himself gracelessly onto the couch. He breathed a huge sigh of relief, feeling the plushness of the sofa underneath him. 

Terra returned with two cups of tea, and laughed at the otherwise elegant man laid haphazardly across the cushions. She handed a cup to Setzer, as the gambler sat up to make room for his friend. She sat next to him, and wrapped a quilt around them both. She huddled closely against Setzer, "Feeling better?"

"Much," Setzer looked down at Terra’s green curls draped across his shoulder like vines. He inhaled the cup of tea and placed the cup on the table next to the couch. Under the quilt, Terra’s body was warm against his own. Setzer felt as if he had gotten a second chance. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, as she curled into the crook of his arm, "Terra?"

"Yes?" Terra sounded a little drowsy.

"Do you know how wonderful you are?"

Terra smiled, and nuzzled into Setzer’s shoulder.

"What I mean is," Setzer continued, "I hope you don’t give up on finding love."

"I did find love," Terra replied. "What those children gave me, when I had lost all hope..."

"I know," Setzer softly interrupted, "but there are many kinds of love. There is love of family, love of friends, and then..." Despite the fact that Setzer had just had tea, his mouth was suddenly becoming very dry, "there’s the love between...a man and woman."

Terra tilted her eyes toward Setzer, looking at him curiously.

"Terra,” Setzer suddenly had trouble finding the right words, the ones that would not result in Terra tossing him out into the storm.He needed to be careful.Setzer turned his body towards her, and brought his face closer to hers, "I know you haven’t...had much experience, and I understand if you would be nervous or hesitant or even disgusted, but...I’d like to show you, if you’d let me."

"Show me what?"Terra looked confused, but calm.

Setzer stared into her eyes, and then closed his own as he moved in for the kiss. It was a soft, gentle press of the lips that lingered for a few seconds. The gambler suddenly worried that his lips were a little chapped from the cold.He was more nervous than he had ever felt before in his life, and being nervous was just not him!Setzer broke the kiss, and whispered, "Well?"

Terra’s cheeks were bright pink, and there was a long pause before she finally answered, stammering, "I...I never knew. I thought…maybe...what about...that other woman?"

"A fantasy that was not meant to come true," Setzer brushed his nose against her cheeks, in an attempt to comfort her, and a vain attempt at hiding the reddishness of his own cheeks.

"I’m not as glamorous as she is," Terra said, her face bent downward."I’m…not as beautiful."

"I’m not interested in glamour," Setzer replied, his fingers running across Terra’s temples, through her long, curly green hair. "Glamour is just an illusion, a trick of the eye. I want something real, and you," Setzer gently tugged her chin upwards, towards his face, "are the most beautiful woman I have ever known." 

"‘Not interested in glamour?’" Terra repeated, giggling slightly. "You’ve changed, Setzer."

"You’ve changed me," Setzer stared intently into her eyes, "Be mine, my darling."Setzer took her slender hands and pressed them against his lips and nose, kissing her fingers. 

Terra was still flushed, her hand trembling.Then Terra slid her fingers across Setzer’s lips, and brushed them across his cheek.

"Yes," Terra whispered, and Setzer drew her in for a deeper kiss. 

Setzer wrapped his arms around her, pressing her body close to his. Terra only appeared to be delicate on first glance, but she had the body of a warrior under her dress; years of involuntary military training made her strong and lean.Yet, her neck, her shoulders, her arms were soft to the touch under Setzer’s lips. The gambler pulled the young woman onto his lap, with her legs straddling his. 

There were no barriers between them–no overprotective friends, no clamoring kids, and no psychopathic super-villains. The two of them were alone, together, secluded in their cocoon of quilts, entwined within each other’s arms, his tongue lightly teasing hers. 

Terra let out an occasional giggle, followed by a soft sigh against Setzer’s mouth. She shifted her weight, pressing just a little harder into Setzer’s lap. 

It made Setzer hunger for more. He needed to remove just one more barrier between them. Still under the blankets, Setzer’s fingers crept down Terra’s back, and began to pull down her zipper.

"Setzer?" Terra became alarmed, "What are you doing?"

"Don’t be afraid," Setzer whispered, as he pulled her dress zipper slowly to the very bottom. Burying his face into her shoulder, Setzer’s long fingers began to stroke the bare, soft skin on her back. 

Terra’s breathing quickened with her heartbeat, as cool fingertips inched up and down her spine. The blush in her cheeks deepened. 

As carefully as guiding an airship through unfamiliar skies, Setzer’s fingers began to explore the skin around her shoulder blades, down her ribs to the small of her back. All of her trials and battles had not toughened, nor calloused, nor scarred her pale, porcelain skin.He slid her dress off of her shoulders to kiss the skin around them.

Terra shivered.

"Is this alright?" Setzer whispered again. 

Terra nodded, and Setzer’s hands pressed deeper into her back, massaging the muscles under her skin.

Terra was catching on to this ritual. Her hands slid between their chests, and began to unfasten the buttons on Setzer’s shirt. She was not at all surprised to find that Setzer’s scars did not end at his face.

"I’ve had some disastrous first attempts at flying," Setzer said, as Terra’s fingers traced the long, purple scars on the gambler’s chest. 

Terra looked down in amazement–some of the old wounds looked like they could have been life-threatening. He was not as muscular as Sabin, yet Terra continued to brush her fingertips across the gambler’s chest, his flat stomach. With just an inch of separation between their bodies, Terra’s dress threatened to fall off her torso. 

As she quickly moved her hand to catch it, Setzer whispered, "Let it fall."

Terra looked shocked for a brief second. Her cheeks burned bright red, but she did not object. She tilted Setzer’s face up in a kiss, so he could not see immediately what the dress would reveal. 

Instead, he felt his skin pressed against her warm, naked breasts, as Terra let out a long sigh. Freeing himself of his shirt, Setzer wrapped his bare arms around her naked torso, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The couple was still cocooned together within the blankets, sharing their body heat between them. 

Terra felt feverish against him, the fire elemental within her was set ablaze. 

Setzer’s lips then slowly travelled away from her mouth, down her long neck, past her collarbone. 

Terra still shivered, but it was not from cold, or from being slowly undressed. It was from the sensation of a man’s lips on places that only she, herself, had touched, during bathing. 

The gambler pulled Terra up so that her breasts were at level with his lips. Setzer’s tongue on the tips caused Terra to involuntarily arch her back, gasping his name, moaning between increasingly quicker breaths. Setzer pulled the hem of Terra’s dress up around her waist, and his fingers worked even lower on her back, down to her soft, firm bottom. His tongue moved in slow circles, then a quick flick, then in circles again. 

Terra’s head fell backward as the air in her lungs came out in deeper moans and sighs. Her hips rocked against his stomach. 

Meanwhile, the tightness in Setzer’s trousers was becoming unbearable. He needed to take her. The question was–was she ready? 

"Terra...oh my Goddess, Terra," Setzer drew Terra back onto his lap and against his chest, the two of them breathing heavily. "Please, my darling. Let me make love to you."

Terra kissed him, "My bed is on the other side of the room." 

Setzer picked her up, still wrapped in the quilts, and carried her to the bed. Just before laying her down, Setzer peeled away the blankets, and removed her dress completely. Kneeling down, kissing her stomach, he hooked his fingers into her stockings and slid them down her legs. Her legs now bare, he then slowly slid his hands back up her calves, up to her hips. Setzer stood up, gazing at the naked beauty in front of him, illuminated by the glow of the fireplace.His eyes drank in the gentle curves of her hips, the flatness of her stomach, the soft roundness of her breasts. She resembled one of the marble nymphs that adorned the staircases of the Opera House, made flesh and standing before him.

Setzer gazed into Terra’s eyes. There was passion in her eyes, and anticipation, but there was also a hint of nervousness. He needed to ask once more, just to be certain.

"Terra, do you...," Setzer started, but Terra put a finger to his lips.

"I’m yours," she whispered. "Always was, always will be."

At that moment, Setzer felt like the luckiest man on the planet. It was the kind of luck he would normally take to the casino, but cards and dice were the furthest thing from his mind at that moment.Standing up, Setzer unfastened his trousers and slid them down. 

Terra gasped again and blushed, bashfully looking away. She bit her lower lip, as Setzer drew her closer to him. She trembled inside his arms, as their bare skin and lips once again joined. Terra tilted Setzer’s head back so her mouth could taste his throat. She kissed his collarbones, his shoulders, his chest, as Setzer’s hands ran through her thick, curly green hair. 

He sighed heavily.He was intoxicated by this beautiful maiden, yet parts of him were growing impatient.He felt himself hard and throbbing against her belly.Setzer took her hand, and placed it over himself, “Touch this.”

Terra made a squeak as her hand closed over him.She stroked him gently, fingertips tracing the length of him, feeling the smoothness of the tip.She sucked on her bottom lip as Setzer sighed throatily.

“Like that?”Setzer whispered, sucking on Terra’s bottom lip.

Terra hummed affirmatively, sucking hard and wet on his tongue. 

“Good,” Setzer then lifted Terra off her feet and laid her down on the bed, “I’ll make it feel good, I promise.”As they slid underneath the blankets, Setzer’s hands greedily felt every inch of her.His hands fondled her breasts, his thumbs rolling her tips underneath.He explored the inside of her thighs and the bend of her back.

Just as Setzer had done on the couch, Terra’s hands glided up and down the gambler’s back, then across his shoulders.Her hands raked through his long white hair, curling it around her fingers. 

Their kisses were becoming hungrier and deeper.Their bodies rocked against each other, legs intertwining. Sweat obliterated the friction between their stomachs and their chests.Terra’s breath was coming out in needy pants and whines as Setzer grinded against her.

Setzer needed to feel her warmth, her heat, from within.His fingers reached between Terra’s legs, finding the place that was so hot and wet and wanting.Terra let out a little cry as he experimentally pushed his finger inside, just a little, just to see if she was really ready.Just as she started to plead with him, beg him, Setzer gently spread her legs further apart, and pushed himself inside. 

Terra let out a cry of "Oh!" upon initial entry, but that cry became lower and longer as the gambler began to push in and out, in and out. Terra dug her fingers into his back, murmuring his name in between moans.

Setzer moved in slow, deliberate thrusts, breathing and grunting with each pump of his hips.She was so tight around him, hot.Where less than an hour ago he was frozen to the core, Setzer’s whole body was burning white-hot, set aflame by the green-haired goddess beneath him. 

Setzer moved just a little deeper, a little harder, a little faster, but he was going to take his time, let it build.He listened for every impassioned moan, every hitched breath.He felt the urgent tug at his hair and the pinch of his skin under her hands as he bucked into her, steadily, the heat becoming almost too much to bear.

Finally, she cried out, her back arching into him, squeezing tight around him. The gambler felt himself explode inside her, as he, too, cried out her name. 

Once they had both caught their breath, Terra murmured into Setzer’s ear for more, with which he was more than happy to oblige. Their love-making continued through the night, even as the log in the hearth burnt down to embers.

"I thought for a moment," Terra said to Setzer, after their love-making had ended and they were curled up under the covers, "that I was going to turn into an Esper again."

"What?" Setzer giggled at the seemingly random thought.

"Well," Terra explained, with her head on Setzer’s shoulder, "when I was first about to morph, there were all these electric-like surges of energy, and a fever from within my body. Then, when I finally transformed, there was an explosion within me, and I was set ablaze. I felt that same electric, that same heat, when you touched me. I felt that same kind of explosion when you were inside me, and I was worried I might incinerate you."

Setzer laughed, kissing her forehead, holding her tight, "But what a lovely way to burn."

 

 


End file.
